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Changes to our service

6 May 2020

Changes to services

Due to the current and ongoing coronavirus pandemic, we are having to adapt our services to keep pace with the fast evolving situation, to follow Government guidance (so we can increase our capacity for anticipated demand) and, most importantly, to protect our patients, staff and local communities.

As a result of the national crisis, we've had to make temporary changes to some of our healthcare services and we have also made the difficult but necessary decision to close our wards to visitors at present. To provide the safest andbest possible service to our patients during these challenging times, we are increasingly making use of technology (such as video or telephone appointments and online resources) to support our staff and to ensure ongoing contact with our most vulnerable patients. In some circumstances, we are postponing routine appointments and treatments in order to be able to redeploy some of our staff to areas where their skills are most needed.

Please bear with us during these unprecedented times, we apologise for any changes to your care and would ask you to contact your local team if you have any questions.

Hampshire wide:

Below is a list of some key services which have temporarily changed the way they operate:

Children's and families service (i.e. health clinics, group work) - all non-essential face to face visits have stopped and services are being offered digitally (other digital services also include the Hampshire Healthy Families website, Hampshire Healthier Together, ChatHealth, webinars for group information for parents i.e. Five To Thrive). The service is continuing to offer support to vulnerable families through home visiting and telephone/video support (including where there are safeguarding concerns).

Complaints: there is a ‘pause’ in the NHS complaints process (for three months) – although we will ensure that people are still able to raise concerns or make a complaint (and all complaints will be logged, triaged and acknowledged).

Diabetes services: have moved to a single team across all sites to maintain a safe service. Group education is cancelled and the team are replacing this with videos and webinars. Face to face appointments have also been cancelled (many will switch to telephone reviews).

Electro-Convulsive Therapy (ECT): these services will temporarily operate from a reduced number of sites, (reducing from three sites to two, or potentially one if necessary).

italk services: face to face sessions have been cancelled and replaced with virtual appointments.

Learning disability services: all non-critical face to face community visits have ceased although staff are maintaining regular contact (using the phone or video conferencing) with all high risk service users and are providing critical support where necessary. Routine referrals are currently being declined (until the team returns to business as usual) and are instead being directed to a referrals hub for guidance. Willow Ward has remained open as a priority service.

Outpatient services (in particular musculoskeletal services): patients who cancel appointments will be discharged but able to self-refer back into the service at any point over the next 12 months.

Psychological services across the Trust have been moved where possible to video/telephone contact, this includes: older people’s mental health, eating disorders, adult mental health, early intervention in psychosis, crisis resolution and home treatment and community mental health teams.

Secure adult and CAMHS services: all inpatient services have continued to run, although new admissions are being reviewed for clinical appropriateness and impact on any Covid19 cases. Some community based services (including the Community Forensic Learning Disability Team) have reviewed treatment plans and decided which can be temporarily stopped and which need to continue. Others, like the Specialist Community Forensic Team, have reviewed what can be undertaken as telephone contact and what needs to be completed face to face. The Prison Community Mental Health Team is continuing contact with HMP Isle of Wight prisoners (with our medic dialling into multi-disciplinary team meetings) whilst our stalking support service is continuing treatment via phone/teleconference (instead of face to face). The Hampshire Multi-Agency Personality Service (HMAPS) has changed from face-to-face to online (phone and video) contact, with a minimum of weekly calls to patients.

These services have reduced in frequency (based on national guidelines during the pandemic). These include:

bowel care

catheter care

depot injections (for Prostap, Denusomab, Epoetin and Zoladex)

dressings for wound therapy

essential rehabilitation for discharge

CHC fast-track provision assessments

nephrostomy (urinary tubes/bags) care

PICC lines (peripherally inserted central catheter)

vitamin B12 injections.

The following services have temporarily stopped (in line with national guidelines):

Wound Clinics - routine (however self-care packs in relation to wound care will be given to all care home.

North and Mid Hampshire

Beechwood ward (a mental health ward for older people at Parklands Hospital) has temporarily become a ward for adult/older people with mental health issues who require physical health care for COVID-19. It has been operating in this capacity as an 18 bedded ward since Monday 6 April 2020.

ENT will only accept urgent medical referrals and will also offer phone consultations (patients with suspected cancer should follow the local 2 week wait pathway)

Ford Ward - a 15 bedded rehabilitation unit based at Fordingbridge Hospital – was temporarily merged with Romsey Hospital (from 10 April) to support the clinical need for patients requiring a Covid19 recovery ward. We are planning to restore Ford Ward w/c 11 May 2020 (as the demand for the rehabilitation pathway reinstates)

Gastro services are now closed at Lymington Hospital

MRIs (routine) are being cancelled for those over 70 years old

Rhueumatology is closed at Lymington Hospital

Spirometry and pulmonary function tests (PFT) have ceased

Ultrasound routine appointments have stopped

Ultrasound guided injections have stopped

Xrays are moving to bookable appointments only (patients should phone Lymington Hospital on 01590 663110 - 24 hours after a GP referral - to book their appointment).

Southampton

The Lighthouse (run in partnership with Solent Mind) is temporarily running as a ‘virtual’ crisis lounge, as the premises in Shirley are too small to maintain safe social distancing.

For Southampton residents, simply text LIGHTHOUSE and your postcode to 07451 276010 between 4.30pm and 12am to access the service.